How do I make the perfect Yule Log Cake?!
Answers: The French are known for this special cake, but how do I make it come out that way. Are there any special secrets? i would like to make this for Christmas. Thank you in advance.
Making a Yule Log Cake with Pastry Chef Jean Fran?ois Houdré
Before you can begin making the cake, you will need to make its components. For the cake in the photos Jean Fran?ois used a plain cake that he soaked with simple syrup flavored with Frangelico liqueur. He filled his cake with hazelnut flavored pastry cream and hazelnut flavored buttercream. You can use any flavors you wish. Perhaps a chocolate filling or even jelly (the Yule Log is essentially a jellyroll) might better suit your personal taste. Use your imagination.
Jelly Roll Cake
5 large eggs, separated
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C flour
confectioner's sugar
jelly roll, yule log cake
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grease a 15 ?" x 10 ?" jelly-roll pan and line with parchment paper.
Beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in ? cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, vanilla and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Continue beating until thick, about 6 minutes. Mix in flour just until blended. Gently fold egg yolk mixture into beaten egg whites. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for about 12 minutes or until cake top springs back when lightly touched.
To remove cake from pan and cool, sift confectioner's sugar over a clean kitchen towel. Loosen the edges of the cake from the sides of the pan with a small knife. Inver cake onto the prepared towel and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Starting from one short edge, roll up the cke and the towel together, like a jelly roll. Cool completely on a wire rack. After cooling, unroll cake and spread with pastry cream, jams, lemon curd or whichever filling suits your fancy. Roll up from the short side, without the towel this time and transfer, seam side down, to a serving platter. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or frost.
Vanilla or Chocolate Pastry Cream
2 1/4 C milk
4 large egg yolks
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C corn starch
1/4 C flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Makes 2 3/4 Cups
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 cups milk to boiling. While milk is heating, whisk egg yolks, sugar and remaining 1/4 cup milk. Whisk in cornstarch and flour until smooth. Temper the egg mixture by slowly whisking in about 1/3 of the heated milk, then whisking in remaining milk. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and boils, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (and melted chocolate if you're making a chocolate pastry cream) or other flavorings. Pour into a bowl, press plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and cool to room temperature before chilling for at least 2 hours.
Buttercream Icing
2/3 C milk
4 egg yolks
3/4 C sugar
1 C unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Click here to find out more!
Makes 2 1/3 Cups
Heat milk to boiling in a medium saucepan. While milk is heating, beat egg yolks and sugar. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, taking care to only add a little hot milk at a time to temper the eggs. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and strain into a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Beat butter until fluffy, then beat in the cooled custard mixture, adding custard in small increments and beating until mixture is smooth. Beat in vanilla or liqueurs. If mixture gets too soft or oily, simply refrigerate for about 15 minutes and re-beat.
Simple syrup
A syrup made from sugar and water which is often used for flavoring desserts, especially sorbets, sauces and poached fruit. To make simple syrup mix equal parts granulated sugar and water, bring to a boil for one minute and allow to cool. Store covered in your refrigerator.
Making the Yule Log Cake
Once you have your Yule Log Cake components, it's time to make the cake. The size of the cake that Jean Fran?ois is using is double the size yours will be, so his will make 2 Yule Logs. The recipes above will make a single Yule Log.
One of the most important steps, according to Jean Fran?ois, is to continually brush the cake with simple syrup during the assembly process to keep it moist and to avoid problems with the cake breaking while rolling. He flavored his simple syrup with Frangelico hazelnut liqueuer. You could use other liqueurs as your taste dictates, or just use the syrup plain. After carefully brushing the entire surface of the cake with syrup, an even layer of pastry cream is spread over the surface.
Now it's time to roll. To begin rolling, bring up the edge of the parchment paper to start the process. With each roll, the chef takes time to brush the cake with additional syrup.
You will want to roll the cake as tightly as possible. To facilitate this, Jean Fran?ois keeps his cake on parchment paper and uses a wallpaper tool from a hardware store. The tool helps him to tighten the roll of the cake by using it to leverage against the paper as in the photo above.
Now come the fun part. It's time to frost the Yule Log Cake.
Jean Fran?ois prepared 2 pastry bags filled with buttercream icing, one plain, one hazelnut flavored. You can use any flavor you like, but you will want icing that is somewhat darker in color than the other. He took the white icing and went down the length of the cake piping random little blobs. These will later become knotholes on the log, so don't pipe them in too symmetrical a fashion.
He then took the hazelnut icing and piped it in long, flat strips along the length of the cake. When it come to the "knotholes" just pipe the frosting right on top of them, as shown in the photo above.
Jean Fran?ois then used a small spatula and somewhat smoothed out the icing, eliminating the lines left from the pastry bag tip. He then used a small plastic comb tool that is usually used to texture paint. You can find this tool inexpensively in hardware stores. The comb is used to create the log's texture by lightly swirling it through the icing.
To further make the icing resemble wood, Jean Fran?ois took a smaller comb tool, dipped it in melted chocolate and lightly brushed it randomly over the cake as in the photo above left. The photo on the right illustrates how he created the "knotholes." Jean Fran?ois warmed the blade of a sharp knife (use hot water but dry the knife first), then simply sliced off the top of the bump that was first piped onto the cake. This left a two-toned knothole on the log.
You could stop right here, transfer the log to a plate and serve.
For pictures, go to the link below.
YULE LOG CAKE
CAKE:
3/4 c. sifted cake flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. water
FILLING;
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. light cream
3/4 c. unsalted butter
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. instant coffee
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. finely chopped nuts
FROSTING:
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. cream
Grease a 15"x10"x1" jelly roll pan; line bottom with wax paper, which has been greased. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into small bowl. In medium sized mixing bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until thick and creamy. Add sugar gradually, beating until very thick. Add vanilla and water; fold in flour mixture.
Spread batter in pan. Bake in 375 degree oven for 12 minutes or until center springs back lightly when touched. Loosen cake around edges with small spatula; invert pan onto a clean towel which has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off wax paper. Roll up cake in towel. Place on wire rack, seam side down; cool. Prepare the filling and spread on cake as directed. Chill cake overnight then frost as directed.
FILLING: Mix egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan; blend in cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Cool and chill. In mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until soft and smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Mix instant coffee with vanilla and add to sugar mixture. Add custard a spoonful at a time, beating constantly until light and fluffy; add nuts.
Unroll cake, spread with 2/3 of filling. Roll up cake. Place seam side down on cookie sheet. Spread with rest of filling mixture; chill overnight then frost.
FROSTING: Melt chocolate pieces, butter and cream over hot water, stirring until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes; quickly spread over roll. Score lightly with fork tines for textured effect. Chill cake overnight; keep chilled until serving time.
YULE LOG CAKE
CAKE:
3/4 c. sifted cake flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. water
FILLING;
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. light cream
3/4 c. unsalted butter
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. instant coffee
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. finely chopped nuts
FROSTING:
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. cream
Grease a 15"x10"x1" jelly roll pan; line bottom with wax paper, which has been greased. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into small bowl. In medium sized mixing bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until thick and creamy. Add sugar gradually, beating until very thick. Add vanilla and water; fold in flour mixture.
Spread batter in pan. Bake in 375 degree oven for 12 minutes or until center springs back lightly when touched. Loosen cake around edges with small spatula; invert pan onto a clean towel which has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off wax paper. Roll up cake in towel. Place on wire rack, seam side down; cool. Prepare the filling and spread on cake as directed. Chill cake overnight then frost as directed.
FILLING: Mix egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan; blend in cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Cool and chill. In mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until soft and smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Mix instant coffee with vanilla and add to sugar mixture. Add custard a spoonful at a time, beating constantly until light and fluffy; add nuts.
Unroll cake, spread with 2/3 of filling. Roll up cake. Place seam side down on cookie sheet. Spread with rest of filling mixture; chill overnight then frost.
FROSTING: Melt chocolate pieces, butter and cream over hot water, stirring until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes; quickly spread over roll. Score lightly with fork tines for textured effect. Chill cake overnight; keep chilled until serving time.